Society News

Hosted by the Derby Branch with the kind support of Rolls-Royce, the 48th Sir Henry Royce Lecture took place on the 28th June and was delivered by Tony Tyler, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Tony Tyler began his lecture by highlighting that the aerospace industry is one built fundamentally on cooperation. As historical examples, he cited the Wright Brothers whose partnership created the first successful heavier-than-air flight and later the partnership of William Allen and Juan Trippe was key to launching the Boeing 747. Outside of the boardroom Tony highlighted the successful four nation partnership of Airbus as an example of wider-scale successful cooperation. Tony also reflected that air transport represents cooperation on a massive scale globally. Every day 80,000 individual aircraft flights take place by the successful cooperation of aircrew, airport staff, air traffic controllers, maintenance personnel etc. Today the aviation industry supports 57 million jobs worldwide and creates $2.2 trillion worth of economic value. By any measure global aviation is a force for good, spreading wealth, fostering business culture and bringing people together via previously unimaginable mobility. The key to future success is further partnership between industry, suppliers and governments.

In closing Tony quoted Sir Henry Royce who once remarked, “Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing.” Anyone over the age of 3 can remember their first flight in an aircraft and this highlights the “magic of aviation”. Our licence to continue to grow in the future as an industry depends on working together and by doing that, in many small things, the second century of aviation can be as successful as the first.

RAeS President Phil Boyle brought the lecture to a close by proposing a vote of thanks and in addition presented Tony Tyler FRAeS with his Royal Aeronautical Society Fellowship certificate.

A full lecture report by Dr. Simon Hall MRAeS will be published in The Aerospace Professional magazine.  Derby Branch information is available via their webpages.  

From left to right: Simon Luxmoore (Chief Executive RAeS), Colin Smith (Director of Engineering and Technology Rolls-Royce and President of the RAeS Derby Branch), Tony Tyler (Director General and CEO IATA), Mark King (President, Civil Aerospace Rolls-Royce), Phil Boyle (President RAeS) and Richard Betts (Chairman RAeS Derby Branch)